Contact for signaling to cars



(No-Model.) P. E KINSMAN 2'Sheets-Sheet '1.

CONTACT PORSIGNALING T0 CARS.

"No. 505,833. Patent-ed Oct. 3,1893.

INVE TU l rwn/KEKLnsnuv/v A TFST' 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Hbdel.)

r. E'. KINSMAN. GON'IAG'I FOR. SIGNALING T0 CARS.

Patented Oct. 3, 1893.

INVENTUF; Fran,71/7 Kl'lwnwa UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK E. KINSMAN, OF PLAINFIELD, NEW, JERSEY.

CONTACT FORSIGNALING TO CARS.

. SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 505,833, dated October 3, 1893.

Application filed May 26, 1892. Serial No. 434,404. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. KINSMAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Plainfield, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a certain new and useful Contact for Signaling to Cars, of which the following is a specification.

My lnvention relates to means for controlling the movement of cars or vehicles propolled by electric motors, and the object of the invention is to provide means whereby the car or vehicle may be automatically brought to rest without the intervention of the motor-man.

The invention consists essentially in the comblnation with the propelling electric motor, and a hand lever acting on awsuitable switch for governing the speed of said motor, of an electric switch governing the action of said motor and controllable independently of said hand lever irrespective of the position of the latter, an electro-magnet governing the operation of said independently controlled sw tch and connected to a contact carried by the, car or vehicle and adapted to run upon or engage with a contact mounted in or upon the permanent way.

My invention consists further in the combination of apparatus, as hereinafter more particularly described and specified in the claims, whereby the vehicle may be brought quickly to rest through the application of a braking appliance brought into operation simultaneously with the action of the independently controllable electric switch.

In the accompanying drawings :Figure 1, illustrates my invention mainly diagrammatically, certain parts of the mechanism, however, being shown in side elevation, since the invention consists mainly in the combinations of devices which individually are old but by my invention are combined in a novel way to effect the results hereinafter described. Fig. 2, shows in detail the manner of supporting the contact devices on the trolley arm.

, Fig. 3, is an elevation of the trolley arm provid ed with the auxiliary contact devices. Fig. 4, is a plan of the contact devices carried by the trolley wire or its supporting devices.

A, A, indicate the wheels of any vehicle moving on a track and propelled by an electric motor typified at B. The style of motor and the manner of controlling the speed thereof form no particular part of my invention. The motor is geared to or connected properly with any driving wheel of the vehicle, as well understood in the art, and is provided with any electric switch device whereby its speed and power may be controlled.

0, indicates the handle of such electric switch device here typified as a rheostat although, as well understoodin the art, the electric switch may be of any other desired nature suitable for controlling the speed and power of the one or more electric motors employed in driving the vehicle. The switch arm or lever upon which the handle operates is indicated at G The electric motor B, is provided also, as usual in the art, with a proper pole changin g switch typified at D, and interposed in the circuit of the motor to permit the direction of movement of said motor to be reversed. In the present instance I have shown the electric motor as one which is fed with a driving current by means of the usual trolley, the arm of which, indicated at E, carries a wheel or contact collector E adapted to bear upon a wire F, charged from any suitable source. In the present instance the current is fed from the wire F, through the motor and the rails upon which the wheels A, bear, in the usual manner, but the combinations of apparatus in which my invention mainly consists are not limited to this manner of feeding current to the motor and said motor might be fed by current collected in any other manner or taken from any other desired source.

G, typifies any electric switch adapted to control the movement of the motor B, and when turned from the position shown to bring said motor to rest by cutting the current oft therefrom, or in any other suitable way acting on a circuit of said motor in proper mannor to cause the vehicle to come to rest. This switch G, is controllable independently of the switch handle 0, which being under the manual control of the motor-man may be set at different positions for governing the speed or power of the motor B. The independently controllable switch Gr, is here shown as a circuit breaking switch placed in the connections to the motor as shown. When turned by the means to be presently described it breaks that circuit and thus cuts otf the current from the motor.

H, typifies any electro-magnet adapted to actuate, or control the position of, the switch G, in any desired manner. For the sake of simplicity I have herein shown the electromagnet H, as having a movable core which is properly connected with the switch G, and when the said magnet is excited will turn the switch in a direction to open the circuit. Connected with the switch or core may be any suitable handle typified at H for resetting the switch to the position shown when the danger conditions are removed.

The electro-magnet H, is connected with one or more contacts I, which are carried by and move with the vehicle and are adapted to engage with a contact or contacts 1 supported on the permanent way in any desired manner.

The preferred way of mounting and arranging the contacts I, 1 which govern the oircuit of the magnet H, when the electric motor is supplied with current from a trolley arm E, is shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. On the block of insulating material secured to the trolley arm, contact springs I, four in number are mounted,the pairon the forward sideof the trolley arm being disposed on opposite sides of the trolley arm and connected together by the plate of conducting material 1 while the pair on the rear side are similarlymounted and connected to the plate. Both the plates are connected by the flexible conductor 5', with the wire leading to the magnet H, and thence to the motor, the track and the rails to form a ground return for the circuit by which the magnet H, is energized. Two pairs of contacts, which are preferably in the form of springs, are provided so that connection may be made when the trolley is in either of its reversed positions. Two sets of contacts 1 are provided for engagement respectively by the springs at opposite sides of the trolley arm. Contacts I are supported upon the permanent way, preferably, by means of any of the devices employed for supporting the trolley wire F. The plates 1 are here show-nas consisting of plates having their ends upturned and carried by the trolley wire sus pension devices, the contact devices of said plates which are engaged by the springs I, be-

ing properly insulated from the trolley wire and its suspension devices by an interposed sheet of insulating material, as indicated, or in any other desired manner. The contacts 1 are connected with awire 6, on the permanent way, which wire forms a part of the circuit leading to the switch or other device or means whereby'the electrical condition of the contact 1 may be controlled. Two of the devices which might be employed for this purpose are herein typified as K, K.

K, is a switch, forming the armature lever of a relay magnet L, the circuit of which latter is governed in any of the usual or desired ways employed in block signaling. In the present case the magnet L, is supposed to be normally charged and could be discharged through the occurrence of danger condition, which would requi-rethe vehicle shown to be brought to rest. When the magnet L, loses its power, the switch K, closes its circuit 6.

The switch K, closes the circuit of a battery M, B, or any other generator of electricity which, through the operation of the switch K, is connected to the wire 6, and thereby to the contact 1 The return circuit in the present case is supposed to be formed by way of the ground, the pole of the battery M, B, opposite the one connected to K, being grounded as indicated. Instead of a switch K, of a relay, a manual switch K connected as shown bydotted lines may be employed for the same purpose. Theswitch K typifies any manually controlled switch adapted to be actuated by a signal-man or by the throwing of a railway switch, a draw-bridge or any other device.

In the normal condition of affairs the vehicle operated by its propelling motor 13, may be controlled inits movements through the operation of handle 0, which governs the usual speed and power controlling electric switch for the motor B, and no interruption in the progress or movement of the vehicle would take place when the contacts I, en-' gage the contacts I supported over or upon the permanent way. When, however, the

circuit 6, is closed by any proper appliance to charge the contact 1 then when the motor reaches a point where such contact 1 is located, contact I, carried by the vehicle will close the circuit of the electro-magnet H, carried by the vehicle, andthe switch G, will thereupon be actuated no matter what the position or condition of the handle 0, and the electric motor will thereby be brought to rest. To aid in the quick stoppage of the vehicle any proper brake may be at the same time brought into operation through the action of the magnet H, which may act upon the controlling devices of such brake in any proper way.

I have herein shown the magnet as applied to throwing on an electric brake formed by placing the motor B, onshort circuit on the ivehicle itself.

For this purpose the switch lever G is provided which is connected with g the switch lever G, and by closing con-tact at '7, as indicated, completes the circuit of the Y motor upon itself at the same time that it ;breaks the connection of said motor with the f source of supply. In the closed circuit thus formed upon the vehicle a suitable resistance B, may be introduced as well understood in the art, to prevent damage to the motor when operated, as a generator by absolute short circuit. 7

Instead of an electric brake of the kind described any other electric brake device might be employed or brake devices not electrical IIO IIS

in nature might be thrown into operation in a similar way without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Instead of contact devices any other means might be employed for causing a suitable electro-magnet to be energized when the vehicle passes a given pointof the permanent way, as well understoodin the art of controlling or operating devices on moving vehicles electrically from points outside or independent of the moving vehicle.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. The combination, substantially as de scribed, with an electrically propelled car or vehicle and the driving electric motor therefor, of a hand lever acting on a suitable switch for governing the speed or power of such motor, an electric switch governing the action of said motor, and controllable independently of said hand lever and irrespective of the position thereof, an electro-magnet governing said switch, and a contact carried by the vehicle and connected with said magnet and adapted to engage with a contact supported over, under or upon the permanent way.

2. The combination, substantially as described, with an electrically propelled vehicle and a driving motor therefor, of a manual device acting on a controlling switch for... governing the speed or power of such electric motor, an electric switch governing the'action of said motor and controllable independently of said manual device and irrespective of the position of the latter, an electro-magnet governingsa'id switch, and means upon the permanent way for bringing said magnet into operation when the car or vehicle passes a given point.

3. The combination with an electrically propelled vehicle and its propelling electric motor, of a manual device such as a handle 0, acting on any suitable controller for governing the speed or movement of said motor at will, an electric switch governing the circuit of said motor, and means for automatically bringing said switch into operation without any manual operation on the vehicle when the said vehicle passes a given point in its route.

4. The combination, substantially as described, with an electrically propelled vehicle and its propelling motor, of a hand lever actin g on a controlling switch for governing the speed or power of said motor, an electric switch controllable independently of said hand lever and irrespective of the position of the latter for governing the action of said motor, an electro-magnet governing said switch, and an electric switch also governed by said magnet for controlling the circuits of an electric brake, as and for the purpose described.

5. The combination, substantially as described, with an electrically propelled vehicle and its propelling electric motor, of a manual device such as a handle (1, acting on suitable electric controlling apparatus for governing the speed or movement of the motor at will, an electric switch controllable independently of said manual device and governing the circuit of said motor, an electro-magnet carried by the vehicle and governing said switch, and means upon the road bed or permanent way for governing the circuit of said magnet.

6. The combination, substantially as described, with an electrically propelled vehicle and its propelling motor, of a manual device such as a handle 0, acting on an electric controller for governing the speed or power of said motor, an electric switch governing a circuit of said motor and controllable independently of said manual device, an electro-magnet energized from the road-bed when the vehicle passes a certain point thereon for governing said switch, and a braking appliance brought into operation simultaneously with the action of said independently controllable switch, as and for the purpose described.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, this 18th day of May, A. D. 1892.

FRANK E. KINSMAN.

Witnesses:

WM. H. CAPEL, THOS. F. CONREY. 

